November 12, 2019 @ 12:24 PM

The Callan Park Tapestry Couch is finished!
It will be on display at the Balmain Edge Festival Nov 23-24, at the Community Refugee Welcome Centre in Callan Park.
This will be part of the Persian Coffee House installation, which is a whole weekend of performances, films, events, and delicious coffee ��
https://www.innerwest.nsw.gov.au/explore/whats-on…

Sayd Abdali will be running Tapestry workshops 1:30-2:30pm both days.
On display there will also be a short film about the project made by Damon Amb.

Some information about the Tapestry Couch project:

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The Tapestry Friendship Couch is a cultural development project that happened at the Community Refugee Welcome Centre over 20 weeks, bringing people from refugee and asylum seeker background together with local residents to share stories and design and make a Tapestry sofa.

The tapestry project was facilitated by master artisan Sayd Abdali, designed by project participants with assistance from Tasman Munro and Laura Ellen Campbell. Project consultation by Jane Theau. The timber frame was then made by Tasman Munro and Mehran Shariati.

The work celebrates the contributions made to Australia by people from refugee and asylum seeker background and cements the friendships made between people from these communities and inner west residents. The collaboration helped to foster community connections, cultural awareness and insights into the lives of participants. The couch will live at the Welcome Centre and works as a reminder of these outcomes, the stories shared and the friendships made during its creation.

The project happened as a partnership between Living Arts & Community Wellbeing and the Community Refugee Welcome Centre. Coordinated by Raffaela Cavadini, Moones Mansoubi and Ingrid deMeyer.

It was based on an original project by Tasman Munro, Jane Theau and Sayd Abadali at the Auburn Centre for Community.

Photos of the finished couch by @saskiawilson